


Sleepwalk Me Through It

by imstephtacular



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Ficlet, M/M, One Shot, ziam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-05-04
Packaged: 2018-01-21 20:07:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1562435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imstephtacular/pseuds/imstephtacular
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam's started sleepwalking. Liam hasn't told anyone, not even his roommate Zayn. But when Liam ends up lost and alone, there's only one voice he needs to hear on the end of the line</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepwalk Me Through It

The sleepwalking started after Easter holiday. Liam returned from spending the week back home and every night since prompted a strange, increasingly dangerous new habit. The first night was nothing to be concerned about— just a quick stroll down the hotel hallway, to the icemaker, and back before anyone noticed. The second night mirrored the first until Liam bumped into another night owl prowling the hallway and was shaken awake, dazed and sleepily returning to his room, attempting to piece together the situation. The few nights that followed, however, began to raise an issue. Lone lift rides to the lobby at 3 am, run-ins with the cleaning staff where Liam began pushing the supply cart down the hall, and one flirt with disaster walking out the front doors and nearly into the street, before tripping on the curb and startling himself awake. 

But the rock bottom came eight nights in. None of the boys know about Liam’s nightly walks and Liam wasn’t keen to share the secret. He finds an odd comfort in the unconscious strolls he takes alone, even if he fails to remember much of those nights. Even Zayn, with whom he shares a room, is unaware of his roommate’s disappearances, able to sleep soundly in the loudest and most raucous of scenes. Sleeping is exactly what Zayn is doing when he gets the call. A rumbling in his bed causes him to stir, only barely; he misses the call completely the first attempt. Another call buzzes through, louder now that Zayn has shifted in his sheets moments before. “Yeh?” he mumbles, ignoring the call ID, thinking whoever it was mattered.   
“Zayn?” Liam sounds distant, odd, strained. Very unlike himself. Zayn shakes himself, sitting up in bed. He glances to his right to find an empty bed.  
“Li, where are you?”  
“I…I don’t really…I don’t know,” Liam responds, increasingly more confused and odd-sounding. “I think I…I think I walked…somewhere. I’m outside somewhere,” he commits, sounding only slightly more certain.  
Zayn can hear cars faintly in the background. He rolls over and reads the clock: 3:46 am. “Stay put, I’m coming to get you,” Zayn tells him, throwing his legs off the bed, slipping into his pants formerly crumpled on the floor, and searching for his shoes, trying to remain calm, but altogether falling apart slowly.   
Liam breaths on the end of the line, choppy and far away.   
“Talk me through what you can see around you,” Zayn starts, walking out of his room, barely caring to shut the door behind him. “Any street signs or building or even, um, people,” Zayn tries.   
“Okay, yeah, uh,” Liam sputters. “There’s lots of bright lights, like, the neon lights. Shit pubs, dark shop windows. Oh, oh, I can see a street sign, let me…” he trails off, sounding determined to figure something out. “Okay, I’m at the corner of Carrington and Lease. Do…do you know where that is, Z?” Liam sounds so small, scared.  
“No, no I don’t, but I’m coming. I’ll figure it out.” Zayn’s already down in the lobby, cruising through the front doors, filtering out everything around him, his mind on only Liam. It’s dark and misty outside, clouding the desolate streets in eery shadows off the few streetlights. He flags down the first taxi he finds, keeping Liam on the line by reminding him he’s on his way and to stay calm. “Corner of Carrington and Lease, please,” Zayn says, keeping his cool to suppress the growing terror inside his chest, thumping against his ribcage.   
“Okay Li, I’m coming. Just, don’t move. Well, I mean, just stay where you are, but go somewhere safe. Maybe inside a pub or at least somewhere lit or something.”  
“Yeah, yeah, okay, okay,” Liam manages, still sounding scared and distant. “I’ll just…here…there’s a bus hub, I’ll just wait here.” A beat passes, Zayn’s insides now tying themselves together, threatening to squeeze him tighter until he explodes. “Z?”  
“Yeh, Li?” Zayn breathes, heavy and light at the same time.  
“Thanks.”  
“Yeh,” Zayn manages, all other words choking off somewhere deep in his throat. “I’ll stay with you, until I’m with you.”  
Moments pass in silence, ten, twenty, piling up, crushing Zayn’s fragile ribs from the outside in. Finally, he spots the street sign above him that reads Carrington. He nearly jumps out of the car, rushing a quick thank you and “please stay, I’ll be right back” to the driver. Reaching the sidewalk, he searches around, unable to locate the hub under which Liam is supposedly taking shelter. “Li, I’m here. I don’t see you.” Voice rising higher than he’d like, Zayn continues to whip his head in all directions.   
“Turn around,” Liam whispers into the phone. Zayn turns on his heel and nearly collides with Liam, dazed and wobbling toward him, seemingly drunk or something like it. Zayn stumbles into a hug, gripping Liam harder than he had planned.   
“What happened?” Zayn asks, not accusingly, but not gently either.   
Liam pulls back, hanging his head. “I…I’ve been sleepwalking.”   
Zayn pauses momentarily. “I had no idea, mate,” he whispers, apologies in his voice.   
“I didn’t want anyone to know,” Liam whispers back. “I thought I could handle it. It wasn’t much at first, just walks down the hall, rides in the lift. But then I started wandering further and now…this,” Liam shakes his head, embarrassed.   
“It’s okay, Li,” Zayn bobs his head to meet Liam’s downcast eyes. “You’re okay now. I’ve got you.” Zayn’s voice has returned to its measured tone, but his heart is still beating a drum. He reaches out to grab Liam’s arm, leading him back to the car. Liam follows, still disoriented. They climb into the car silently and Zayn guides Liam’s head to rest in his lap and slowly strokes his head. 

Back in their room at the hotel, Liam turns silently towards his bed, back to Zayn. Zayn closes the gap between their beds, reaching out and gently grabbing Liam’s wrist. “My bed is big enough for two.” Liam begins to argue, but Zayn shakes his head almost imperceptibly. “I’ll keep you safe.”


End file.
